Visit Old Fort Western, the 1754 National Historical Landmark fort on the Kennebec River in Augusta, Maine, with this virtual tour, and see its transformation over its 250-plus year history.

After arriving at today’s link, select your internet connection type, either dialup or broadband, to begin your tour. Once the new window opens, use the timeline under the introduction to begin exploring. Choose from:

Military Period – 1754-1770

William Howard Period – 1770-1782

Two Family House Period – 1782-ca 1830

Three Family House Period – ca 1830-ca 1870

Tenement Period – ca 1870-ca 1922

2004

The tours for the Military Period through the Tenement Period are in drawings and primarily show how the fort changed in its division and use of the space. Once you have selected your time-period, the fort image will load. Text on the page describes the fort and its use. As you move your mouse over the image a view finder will reveal details inside the fort. There are several tools to change your views. When you explore “2004”, it provides a more in-depth view of the current use of the fort as a museum with photos and panoramic views of the various rooms.

There is a lot of interesting history connected with Old Fort Western and the part it played in the development of the Kennebec Valley in Maine as well as American history in general. When you are finished with your tours, close the tour window to get back to the opening page. In the upper menu, select “Fort Information” to find links to the fort, house, and store history.

Today’s website is a bit of a diversion in that the site is a commercial enterprise called “Home Science Tools” that sells all kinds of science kits and curriculum that help students (in Pre-K through high school) explore life science, space, biology, chemistry, physics and more. HOWEVER, they also provide FREE hands-on science ideas that you can try at home.

Some of the categories of science projects include:

Life Science

Chemistry

General Science

High School

Earth and Space

Physical Science and Engineering

Some of the experiments include:

Make a Cartesian Diver – all about scuba diving and buoyancy

How your heart pumps – Make a pump using a jar, a balloon, and two straws.

Build a Solar Oven – Use solar power to cook food using a pizza box

and lots more!

Each experiment comes with a materials list and instructions. It also offers suggestions for science kits and products (available from the site’s store) to further learning. This is clever marketing. Again, you don’t have to buy a thing to explore the free resources.

This website allows you to make an online virtual kaleidoscope from any image.

Simply find an image you like on the Internet, and paste the image URL into the space provided at the website. Then, whenyour image is loaded, simply mouse over it or click and drag your mouse over the image to make all kinds of kaleidoscopicimage variations. If you settle on one you like, you can create a JPEG of the image and send it to a friend to see.(The image is good for 24 hours.)

Today’s website from New Zealand encourages development of scientific exploration through children’s literature. The idea is to read one of the recommended books, and then the “teacher” sends a “Science Postcard” themed around that book title to a student. Upon receiving the postcard, the student is inspired to engage in a science activity that relates to the book they just read. The science activity is downloadable/printable at the Science Postcard website after registering.

All of the Science Postcards are available for free at the site. The Teacher and Pupil notes for the first book mentioned above, “Cork on the Ocean,” and the Science activity “Traffic Light Straws” are available free (without registering). All other Teacher and Pupil notes can be downloaded for free, once you have registered on the site.

We registered and noticed that you MUST fill out the “comment” field in order to complete the registration. We simply typed, “Thanks.” That did the job.

Of course, it wouldn’t be necessary to print out a postcard and send it to your children – you could simply do the activities. On the other hand, it might be fun to send the postcard to them (kids love to get mail). Or, you could place one in a conspicuous place somewhere in the house where they are sure to see it and wonder what it is.

This is a fun way to engage kids in science projects that tie into the books they enjoy reading.

NASA sponsors this non-commercial website to show kids that science, technology, and learning about space are fun and within their grasp. It offers free projects and activities that lead kids step-by-step through challenging subjects such as the electromagnetic spectrum, orbits, gravitational waves, tidal forces, binary and hexadecimal notation, and more. As the website explains, these topics are “treated simply and concisely, with everyday analogies and metaphors, concrete examples, and compelling illustrations.”

When you get to the site you’ll see the Space Place logo and below it a menu of activities that includes:

Do – Build a bubble-powered rocket, make moon cookies, make a relief map, build a physics machine, and whip up some El Nino pudding! You’ll find instructions and illustrations for these hands-on projects.

Play – Play interactive games that teach as they entertain. Go on a virtual mission to Jupiter, explore the solar system, compare the sizes of planets, do space-themed crossword puzzles, word searches, and more.

This is a terrific way to engage kids in learning about science through technology.

This is a commercial website that sells downloadable math games and tools. However, Brainormous provides a generous sampling of their products for free – making this site worth a visit if you just want a little random math practice.

Coloring Page Maker – Create your own space scene, then print it out to color.

Gridiant – Place spheres strategically on the grid.

We played one of the Math-teroid games, and even though our time ran out on the sample game, we were able to restart it and play some more.

If you enjoy the games and/or tools and want more, you can purchase and download them for “home use” for about $5-$10 each. Again, you don’t have to purchase a thing – you can test-drive these programs for FREE.